(Above): Indian Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs and Civil Aviation Vayalar Ravi (l) meeting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke in New Delhi Feb. 07. [PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU]
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke concluded his visit in Mumbai Feb. 11, the final stop of his three-city trade mission to India. Locke and a delegation of 24 U.S. businesses traveled to New Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai to promote their technologies and services related to civil nuclear energy, civil aviation, defense and homeland security, and information and communications technology to India.

This mission provided the U.S. delegation access to key Indian public and private sector decision-makers to explore opportunities to enter or expand their presence in this emerging market.

“This trade mission was a resounding success. For some companies on our trip, ‘success’ was an initial meeting or consultation with Indian government or business leaders that will lead to deals down the road,” Locke said.

Locke met with the executive committee of the U.S- India Importers’ Council, an initiative developed to support Indian companies that import goods and services from the United States. The mission of this council is to advance President Obama’s National Export Initiative, and to support the efforts of Indian companies that import products from the U.S.

Locke then visited Mumbai’s legendary Dabbawala Association to learn about their unique logistics operation that delivers home-cooked food to hundreds of thousands of people daily. Association president Raghunath Medge provided Locke with an overview of the organization’s labeling and sorting methodology and the dispatch process.

In the afternoon, Locke engaged in bilateral meetings at Reserve Bank of India with Governor Dr. D. Subbarao and other Indian officials.

“The U.S. is committed to greater bilateral commercial collaboration and developing a strategic partnership with India, as evidenced by the steps we’ve take to expand defense and high-technology trade and implementing the export control reforms President Obama announced in November,” Locke said. “In my conversations with Indian government officials and economic leaders, I repeatedly stressed how the continued market openings the U.S. sought in India would ultimately bring tremendous benefits to both countries.”

During the six-day mission, Locke met with India’s Minister of Commerce Anand Sharma, Minister of Finance Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of Defense M.K Anthony, and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, among other high-level government officials. Locke stressed the importance of the U.S.-India economic relationship and discussed avenues for enhancing this critical partnership, and raised longstanding and emerging issues – including market access barriers and intellectually property protection – facing U.S. companies in the Indian market.